The Times was given rare access to observe the training of the Virginia Kekoas, a citizen militia that wants to ‘protect its community from the far-left’
It is late afternoon deep in the woods of rural Virginia, and Rustpit is getting annoyed. The former Marine is trying to school his fellow militiamen in cover and concealment on a shooting course built among the trees.
It has been a long day of firearms training and the men are distracted, poking at defective weapons and debating what meat to throw on the fire for dinner later.
To keep them on their toes, Rustpit, a 46-year-old business owner, has set up a tripwire. He watches as it is detonated by his lanky comrade-in-arms Sheepdog, distracting some members who are trying to blow up a container of explosive powder nearby.
